I was up in Taipei last weekend and hadn't been around any people or been to any churches there for a while. It was interesting to hear that Joel Osteen is quite the rage in some places here as well as the US. One woman who comes to the English afternoon meeting at one of our churches is heavily involved elsewhere in leading meetings using his material at her regular church.
Sadly, as far as I am aware, Christian writers who cause readers to think (eg. Ravi Zacharias) have never been translated into Chinese and marketed in the Christian book stores. They just don't make money. I HOPE I am wrong here!
Yet on the other hand any number of "feel good" or prosperity gospel writers get translated. Binny Hinn and others are regular visitors to Taiwan.
I've only heard Joel Osteen once or twice so dare not issue a judgement. A writer friend of mine has visited him and approves of his ministry. But what I read on Trevin Wax's Kingdom People blog the same day as I heard about Osteen's upcoming Taiwan trip would express my gut reaction as well.
Why is discernment so lacking amongst those who flock by the thousands to "special meetings" here all the time? And where in mass market publication are writers who express a full, balanced gospel?
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